A Hushed Meeting 11 Series S4 BTS pt1 WT
by spikeme4now
Summary: Behind the scenes with Willow and Tara during S4 ep Hush. 1st in series: S4 Behind The Scenes. 9 stories, each dealing with 1 episode. Starts with Hush, will end with New Moon Rising.


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Title: A HUSHED MEETING  
Series: S4 Behind The Scenes   
Author: spikeme4now4200  
Email: spikeme4now4200@yahoo.com.au  
  
Copyright:October 9th 2002  
Spoilers:Season 4 episode "Hushed"  
Rating:PG-13 I think  
Pairing:Willow/Tara  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters. I don't wish to harm them, I simply want to borrow them and have a little bit of fun with them.  
  
Feedback: Yes Please!  
Distribution: Everywhere and Anywhere, just let me know where.  
  
Summary: A behind the scenes take on what happened between Willow and Tara during the Season 4 episode Hush.  
  
Author's Notes:This is in response to the challenge I posted a few weeks ago. I thought it would be cool to remember how the Willow/Tara relationship first started. This is the first in a series of 9 behind-the-scenes stories that deal with the start of the W/T relationship. The series will start with the episode "Hush" and end with the episode "New Moon Rising." Each story can be read as a standalone, and goes behind the scenes of one episode. I'll try to have one up every week or two.  
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A HUSHED MEETING:  
  
Willow was having a hard time trying to concentrate. She wondered when these meetings would actually start to get interesting. Would they ever get to the bit about spells and stuff? If she had to listen to that damn blessing one more time she . . .  
  
The first Wicca started the blessing. "We come together, daughters of Gaia, sisters to the moon. We walk with the darkness, the wolf by our side. Through the waterfall of power to the blackest heart of eternity."   
  
As the blessing finished up, Willow's patience continued to fade. She didn't know how much longer she could sit still without saying something.  
  
"I think we should have a bake sale," continued the Wicca.  
" I don't know," replied a second Wicca.  
  
"You guys like a bake sale, right?" The first encouraged.  
"I mean, we need money for the dance recital and you know I do an empowering lemon bundt."  
  
Willow's mind continued to wander. Dance recital? Is this all they're interested in?  
  
The second Wicca interceded. " The most important thing is the Gaia newsletter and we need to get the message of blessing out to the sisters. Also, who left their scented candles dripping all over my woman-power shrine?"  
  
WHO CARES! Willow couldn't stand it any longer. She wanted to do spells, magicks, maybe even learn how to float something larger than a pencil. She couldn't care less about newspapers and dance recitals.  
  
"Well, this is good. " Willow interrupted. "I mean, this is all fun ya know, but there's also other stuff that we might show an interest in, as a Wicca group."  
  
" Like what?" The first Wicca asked hesitantly.  
  
"Well, there's the wacky notion of spells, you know. . . conjuring, transmutation?"  
  
Another Wicca - Tara, suddenly looked at Willow, her hopes rising a little. She'd joined this group to meet others like her, and had almost given up hope after the first couple of meetings.  
  
The second Wicca smirked. "Oh yeah, then we could all get on our broomsticks and fly around on our broomsticks."  
  
All the Wiccas in the circle laughed, except for Willow and Tara.  
  
"You know certain stereotypes are not very empowering," the first Wiccan chastised.  
  
What a Harmony thing to say, thought Willow.   
  
Tara wanted to let Willow know she didn't think like the others.  
  
"I think that. . ." She began, but was interrupted by the second Wicca.  
  
"One person's energy can suck the power from an entire circle." She said pointedly to Willow. "No offence. " She added as an afterthought.   
  
Yeah-right thought Willow, wondering what that blonde girl wanted to say.  
  
"Well, maybe we c..could. . . " Tara tried again, but lost her nerve as she realised no one was listening to her.  
  
The second Wicca noticed however. "Yeah, Tara. . . guys quiet!" She ordered, her hand going up for silence. "Do you have a suggestion?" She asked pointedly.   
  
Intimidated by the sudden attention, Tara shook her head shyly losing her nerve.  
  
Willow looked at the blonde mysteriously. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for the girl. This girl - what had the wiccan called her. . .? That's right - Tara, her shyness reminded her a bit of herself.  
  
"Okay, let's talk about the theme for the Bacchanal." The second Wicca continued impertinently.  
  
Oh brother, Willow sighed inwardly. I guess I won't be coming back here again.  
  
***  
  
After the gentlemen had taken everyone's voices:  
  
Tara walked around the dorm entrance, hoping to catch sight of Willow. She didn't see her, but noticed how everyone seemed kinda depressed. One girl was even crying into a guy's arms, when all of a sudden a guy dropped a tray and a glass. The shattering glass sounded like a gunshot in the silence, causing Tara to jump back startled. The guy looked around, embarrassed, and then bent over to clean up the mess.  
  
Unable to find Willow in the halls, Tara decided to check the dorm directory for Willow's room number. She wanted to do something to help everyone get their voices back. She knew she couldn't do it alone, but maybe with Willow's help. . .  
  
In her dorm room, Tara took the post-it with Willow's address "214 Stevenson". It was lying on the directory where she had highlighted Willow's name. Next to which a book was open to a chapter titled "spells of speech and silence." She had been reading through that book hoping to find a way of fixing things. Rushing to find Willow, she closed her door and left carrying some other books and notepads.  
  
***  
  
In her search for Willow, Tara had encountered the Gentlemen. She was now running up stairs and banging on doors, hoping desperately that someone would help her. In a nearby dorm room, Willow heard the banging and woke up. She'd fallen asleep at her computer, trying to do some late night studying. She was frightened now, but nevertheless rushed to her door to see what was going on.  
  
The door Tara was banging on finally opened up. She was shocked to see a menacing Gentleman looking at her, holding a heart in his hand. Two other Gentleman began to float up near the stairs where she'd come from. Running as fast as her legs could take her, Tara quickly rounded the corner.   
  
Willow chose that moment to open her door and glance to her right. She therefore didn't see Tara as she came crashing into her from her left. They both fell to the floor, Willow grabbing her leg and yelping in silence. Seeing the Gentlemen and their lackeys quickly approaching, they both got up and ran towards the next stairway. Tara helping to support the limping Willow.  
  
***  
  
Tara and Willow continued to run down the stairs. Willow was still limping, but Tara was holding her up, helping her. They both felt the lackeys close behind them, their adrenaline pumping up to its max. Finally they reached the laundry room and rushed to lock the door. That's when the banging started. They tried to brace the door, but it was no use, they knew they couldn't hold it forever.  
  
Willow glanced up and limped towards the soda machine. Following her train of thought, Tara followed suit, and they both tried to push it towards the door. Unfortunately they both lacked in the strength department, and the machine remained unmoved. The pain in her foot took that moment to intensify, causing Willow to crash down clutching her leg. Concerned, Tara knelt beside Willow and looked at her.  
  
Willow knew the only way to move that damned machine was with magic, she also knew she'd never been able to move anything that big before. Nevertheless she had to try. Taking a deep breath, she gathered all her energy around her and focused it towards the soda machine. She could feel it moving, budging slightly before it moved back in place. Defeated, she slumped back cursing her ineptness.  
  
Tara could sense the power emanating from the young witch. She hadn't sensed such power since her mother . . . She glanced at Willow, then at the soda machine, then back at Willow, knowing what the redhead was trying to do. Her energy was untapped however, inexperience leaving it unexplored. Tara could sense this, knowing she needed help. She knew her own power also had potential. Maybe together they could awake the energy that had been hidden inside them for so long.  
  
Taking a deep breath Tara slowly moved her hand towards Willow's. Willow could feel a slight tingling sensation as the blonde witch interlocked their fingers. She sensed a powerful energy emanating from this girl, invoking a hidden power from within herself. She clasped the blonde's hand tighter, looking at her in amazement and understanding.   
  
Tara could feel their energy mingling, joining together to work as one. With a nod, they clasped their hands even tighter together, looking deep into each other's eyes before simultaneously releasing their energy towards the soda machine. The machine spun slightly as it hurled towards the door in a split second.  
  
IT WORKED! Willow and Tara looked at each other in relief, before glancing down at their clasped hands. Tara was surprised at how well their energy connected, it was like nothing she'd ever experienced. The rush of power she'd felt between them was incredible.   
  
Willow was thinking much the same thing. She was in fact quite impressed at what they had been able to do. Looking at their clasped hands, she couldn't help but feel some inexplicable connection to this shy blonde witch. She didn't want to let go of the girl's hand. The power they had together was so great, she felt that if she let go, a part of her would also be gone with it.  
  
So the two witches sat in silence, neither wanting to let the other go. They both knew they would have to eventually, but for right now they were content to sit in silence and enjoy the rush of power they'd experienced.  
  
They raised their eyes towards one another again, this time smiling shyly. Willow wanted to express her elation to the girl, but since words were still impossible she settled on gently squeezing the girl's hand instead. She then absent-mindedly began caressing the girl's hand with her thumb.  
  
Tara's hand tingled at the sensation. Willow's thumb was like lightning against her hand, causing her to shiver and blush at the same time. She could feel every part of her being responding to Willow's tenderness. She'd been attracted to girls for as long as she could remember. She'd even sort of been intimate with a couple during her semi-rebellious grief-stricken period after her mother's death. Yet no one had ever made her feel like this from a simple touch.   
  
It was all-innocent really, Willow was simply expressing elation as to their success. Nothing more. So why did she feel so. . . tingly? Not wanting to let the redhead know how much this was affecting her, Tara quickly moved her eyes downward, letting her blonde tresses cover her face slightly.  
  
At the girl's reaction, Willow suddenly realised what she was doing. Here she was, just having met this girl, and already she was caressing her hand as if they were. . . what? Friends? . . .??? Her mind stopped, confusion setting into her thoughts. She decided it would be easier to just put that thought out of her mind and let go of Tara's hand before the girl got up in disgust.  
  
As soon as Willow stopped her caress, Tara felt the loss of sensation. She could feel the redhead beginning to draw away, but she wasn't ready to lose all contact just yet. She gently squeezed Willow's hand as she began to pull away, softly letting her know she wasn't ready to break their connection.  
  
Willow sighed in relief as she realised she hadn't crossed any line. The blonde wanted to keep contact as much as she did. It was a power-thing she reassured herself. It had nothing to do with anything else . . . Yet why was her stomach suddenly doing flip-flops as the blonde raised her head once again to meet her eyes?  
  
She hadn't noticed it before, but Tara's eyes were this intense shade of light blue. They were slightly dilated, most likely from the magick they'd just performed. She figured her own eyes were probably in a similar state. She was experiencing this weird sensation all over her body as Tara's thumb started to mirror her previous actions.   
  
It was the magick, she told herself. The power surging through their bodies as they'd merged their energies was having this electrifying effect on her. She had to break contact, and now. All these feelings and sensations were confusing her. She'd never felt like this before, and as soon as she let go of the blonde's hand she knew the feelings would disappear. So why wasn't she letting go . . .? Why was her thumb reaching up to meet Tara's?  
  
The two witches sat there silently, alternating gazes between their hands, the floor, and the occasional tentative eye-to-eye lock. They were extremely juiced. All rational thoughts seeming to have flown out the window at their first touch. Of it's own accord, Willow's thumb moved to softly brush across Tara's sensitive wrist. Pausing to feel the erratic pulse, marvelling at the softness of the skin below.   
  
At the feel of the redhead's thumb against her pulsing veins, Tara suddenly felt like she was about to explode. She couldn't take any more of this. The sensation was so intense she knew she was only moments away from doing something that would embarrass them both. Before Willow could protest, the blonde witch quickly stood up, disentangling their hands in the process.  
  
Willow watched in surprise as Tara stood up, immediately missing the contact between them. She felt as if a part of her had been ripped away. She wanted to stand up and grab this girl's hands with her own and never let them go. Instead she mouthed an 'I'm sorry,' as the girl's eyes met hers again. She'd overstepped her bounds, she realised. She'd touched this girl . . tenderly, in a way that was totally inappropriate for a near-stranger.   
  
What must this girl . .Tara . .be thinking of me? She thought to herself as she recalled her name. Here we are, hiding away from the Gentlemen, and I'm what. . .? Caressing her hand. . . Staring into her eyes. . . not wanting to let her go! What is wrong with me?  
  
Tara saw the aprhensive look Willow was giving her as she mouthed her apology. She'd obviously offended the girl with her sudden action. Immediately she sat back down again, smiling shyly. Tara had to let her know she hadn't done anything wrong. "It's OK," she mouthed, gently squeezing Willow's knee in reassurance.  
  
Willow smiled back at Tara's reassurance. It was okay. The blonde wasn't annoyed with her. She probably felt claustrophobic or something, stuck in here hiding from the Gentlemen. Willow wished she could say something to reassure the girl, but even if she could speak she doubted her words would help. She moved to get up, when all of a sudden the pain in her leg returned. She'd forgotten about her injury in all the exitement.  
  
Tara noticed as the redhead winced in pain. She immediately wanted to help the girl. Instinctively she moved to examine Willow's leg, concern getting the better of her shyness.   
  
Willow didn't protest as the blonde placed her hand onto her ankle, before moving to unlace her sneaker. The blonde's touch was warm and gentle as she removed her shoe, mindfull of the swelling. She then quickly removed her sock before placing her hand directly onto the slight swelling.  
  
Tara smiled as she realised the injury wasn't a big one. The swelling was minor, and the ankle appeared to have been only slightly twisted when she'd fallen. This meant that maybe she could actually help the girl. She'd only done this a handfull of times. It wasn't a healing spell, but it was meant to slightly reduce pain and swelling, and Willow's injury was small, so. . .  
  
Willow gasped silently as she suddenly felt this heat emanating from Tara's hand. Tara's hand surrounded her ankle, bringing with it even more heat. Her ankle felt like it was on fire, and just as she was about to protest, the heat started cooling. Her ankle wasn't on fire anymore, and as the heat reduced, so did the pain and the swelling.   
  
Willow couldn't believe it, this girl had cured her. She was amazing! As Tara slowly removed her hand from her ankle, Willow met her eyes and gave her a huge grin. "Wow! Thanks !" she mouthed, surprised when her voice actually responded.  
  
"You can talk!" Tara exclaimed.  
  
"So can you," Willow returned, smiling at the girl. "That was some healing mojo you worked on me."  
  
Tara blushed slightly as she returned the smile. She was glad her spell worked, she didn't like the idea of this girl in pain.   
  
"I d..didn't d..d. . . . I mean . . I . . I only lowered the swelling. . . it was nothing much."  
  
Willow smiled at the girl's nervous stuttering. "Well, whatever you did, it was great. You've got to show me how you did that sometime."  
  
Tara nodded, smiling.  
  
"Anyway," Willow continued as she finished lacing up her sneaker. "I think the Gentlemen are gone so it should be safe to move the machine now."  
  
"Who are the G..Gentlemen?" Tara asked.  
  
"Oh . . ."   
  
Willow realized she'd just slipped up. Despite the instant connection she felt with this girl, she didn't know how much she could tell her without sounding like a candidate for an insane asylum. On the other hand, this girl was obviously a witch, so she was probably open-minded about weird things and . . . .  
  
". . . these Gentlemen," Willow began. "They're the reason we couldn't speak."  
  
"The m..monsters outside?" Tara queried.  
  
"Yeah, I read up on them a bit. They're actually a fairy-tale and the only way to destroy them is with a scream. . . so I guess someone must've screamed or something since we seem to have our voices back."  
  
"Right," Tara smiled. "B..but . . . fairy-tales? They're r..real?" She giggled nervously.  
  
"Yeah," Willow agreed. "At least this time no one tried to burn us at the stake!"  
  
"What?" Tara asked in confusion.  
  
Willow realized too late that she'd slipped up again. She felt so comfortable around this girl, which was weird considering they'd just met. She had to learn to control her words better.  
  
"It's a long story." She explained. "Let's just say that Hansel and Gretel are real . . . sort of. . . and they spread hate and fear and stuff . . . Well, last year my mom and the other parents kidnapped me and my friends and tried to burn us at the stake - Amy called up Hecate and turned herself into a rat, but eventually we got rescued - although poor Amy's still a rat and I haven't figured out how to de-rat her yet . . . and I'm babbling so I'll stop.  
  
Willow was surprised at how quickly the words had flowed. What happened to watching what you say? And it didn't help that Tara was looking at her now with mystification and confusion. She probably sounded like a complete loon. . .   
  
"Wow!" Tara exclaimed. It seemed like this girl had been through a lot. Even though she didn't completely follow everything she'd just said, it still sounded pretty impressive. She looked into the girl's eye's, noticing the apprehension in them. It was as if she'd suddenly realized how much she'd said and was worried how it would be interpreted.  
  
"I d..didn't think they still burned witches," Tara quipped, trying to lighten the situation and reassure Willow.  
  
Willow smiled, feeling a bit better about her rambling. "Yeah, me neither."  
  
Tara just smiled back, suddenly at a loss for words.   
  
Willow found herself once more looking into Tara's eyes. There was something so right and familiar about this girl and it was throwing her for a loop. Here they were, just having met and already she was sharing Scooby-type stories with her. Why did she feel this instant connection to her? It had to be the magicks between them . . . Unable to handle her thoughts anymore, Willow finally stood up and broke her gaze.  
  
"We should probably try to move the machine," she suggested.  
  
Tara nodded in agreement. She too was having a hard time dealing with her thoughts. She had found herself entranced by Willow's gaze, unable to break free, unsure of what it meant.   
  
"But d..do you really think it's safe?" She asked, suddenly feeling a little bit scared. What if Willow was wrong? She sounded like she knew what she was talking about, but people make mistakes. . . and. . .She stopped her thoughts as Willow reached a hand and helped her up.   
  
"I do!" Willow replied confidently, lacing their fingers together like before. "Ready?"   
  
Reassured by the girl's confidence, Tara nodded.  
  
The two witches focused their energy. They felt the power build up inside them as they simultaneously channeled it through their fingertips, merging its flow before releasing it. The machine suddenly twisted to the left before crashing into the wall. Once again, the girls looked at each other in awe. It was amazing how much power they had together.   
  
"Wow," Willow exhaled, once again refusing to let go of the gir's hand.   
  
"Yeah," whispered Tara, enthralled by the magick, and by Willow's touch.  
  
Willow could feel herself sinking once more into the sea of blue that were Tara's eyes. The electricity of the magicks they'd channeled seemed twice as powerful as the first time. It was all Willow could do to maintain rational thought. Knowing however that she couldn't let herself be drawn in again, the redhead reluctantly withdrew her hand from Tara's.  
  
"Here goes nothing," Willow quipped as she walked towards the door.  
  
Tara watched apprehensively as Willow moved towards the door. She followed the girl, not wanting to let her face any possible danger alone.  
  
Willow could hear Tara's footsteps behind her as she followed her. She waited for the girl to reach her side before moving. She turned and smiled at her before finally opening the door.  
  
The first thing they noticed were the slimey headless corpses strewn around the floor. "It looks like they're dead," ventured Willow. "It's probably safe to head back to our rooms."  
  
Walking slowly forward Tara had to agree with her. They continued moving along the corridor up toward the staircase. When they finally reached Willow's dorm room, neither wanted to say goodbye. They both wanted to talk some more, but it was late, and the events of the night had completely tired them out.  
  
"Well. . . Goodnight," Tara ventured softly as the silence between them started to get awkward. She didn't want to leave, but she could tell the girl was tired, and so was she for that matter.  
  
"Yeah, night." Willow responded, reaching out to take Tara's hand. "We should talk. . . tomorrow?" Willow suggested as their hands parted.   
  
Tara's face brightened, she would see her tomorrow. Suddenly she couldn't wait to get home and go to sleep. The sooner she slept the sooner it would be morning and she would see Willow again.   
  
"Yeah," Tara responded. "How 'bout um. . . 8:00am in the student lounge? I have a c..class at 9."  
  
"Sounds great," Willow replied as she watched Tara smile before walking away. She suddenly felt very exited with the prospect of seeing her again. This had been some day. Being chased by the Gentlemen, hiding out in the laundry room, meeting Tara, and actually using magick to move something bigger than a pencil. As she got ready for bed, Willow couldn't shake the feeling that this day had just been the start of something big.  
  
***  
  
The next morning as she headed towards the lounge, Willow couldn't help but feel exited at the prospect of seeing Tara again. It had taken her ages to get to sleep, all she'd been able to think about was the blonde witch. So many questions were passing through her mind. Who was she? How long had she been practicing? How many spells did she know? Was she aware of demons? What magicks could she teach her? What spells could they do together? What had she been doing at her dorm? Did she live at Stevenson too?  
  
All these questions and more, were screaming in her head, begging for an answer. She wanted to know everything about this girl, and it scared and exited her at the same time. The instant connection she'd felt had frightened her with how quickly it had happened. The moment their hands had touched, the magick had surged through her in a way she'd never felt before. It was more than just magick, it was power, and strength, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.  
  
She was almost at the lounge when out of the corner of her eye, she saw her. She was heading towards her with the cutest smile on her face. Willow couldn't help but smile back, her grin was contageous.   
  
"Hey," the blonde greeted as she finally reached Willow's side.  
  
"Hey," Willow returned, her smile widening. Suddenly all the quesitons she'd been storing wanted to escape. She just didn't know which one to ask first.  
  
"So," she began, deciding to ask a simple one first. "Do you live at Stevenson too?"  
  
"Oh. . No," she replied softly as they continued walking. Tara realised suddenly that Willow wanted to know why she'd been there last night.   
  
"I f..found your name in the...uh...student directory," Tara explained.  
  
"You were there looking for me?" Willow asked in surprise, trying unsucessfuly to quell the sudden beating in her chest.  
  
"I thought m..maybe we could do a spell - make people talk again." Tara continued her explanation as they walked towards the lounge.  
  
Willow gestured at some nearby chairs, enthralled by what the girl was saying. So she wanted to do spells with 'Me', she thought happily. How did she know I could. . ?  
  
"I..I'd seen you in the group, the W..Wicca group." Tara continued as she sat down.  
  
So she remembered me, Willow thought to herself, taking a seat next to Tara. Cool!  
  
"You were. . . you were different than them." Tara offered. "I mean they didn't seem to know. . ."  
  
"What they were talking about?" Willow interrupted happily, releived she wasn't the only one who had thought so.  
  
"I think if they saw a w..witch they would um. . .run-the-other-way." Tara joked, laughing nervously. She didn't know why she'd just said that, but for some reason Willow was making her feel all goofy. She was looking at her with understanding and happiness, and it just made her feel so at-ease around her. Which was strange, since she never felt comfortable around new people. But Willow was different somehow. With Willow it was like she'd known her for an eternity, and the way they'd connected last night was still fresh in her mind.  
  
Willow smiled at Tara's goofy comment. She thought Tara was so cute when she. . . Wait! She thought this girl was cute?   
  
"How long have you been practicing?" Willow asked quickly, wanting to get those confusing thought out of her head.  
  
"Always," she replied, immediatly chastising herself at how glib that sounded. "I mean. . .since I um. . .was little. . .my. . . my mom used to. . . she um. . . she had a lot of power. . .like you."  
  
"Oh I'm not. . . " Willow began, not wanting to mislead the girl. "I don't have much in the way of power."  
  
Tara just smiled at that, realising that this witch sorely underestimated her own talent.  
  
"Really," Willow continued, seeing Tara's smile. "I mean most of my potions come out soup. Besides. . . spells going awry, friends in danger. . . I'm definitely nothing special."  
  
"No, you are." Tara let out meaningfully. Her heart starting to race as she realised what she'd just said.  
  
Willow gasped, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe. She think's I'm special. She couldn't help but smile at that thought. Especially with the way the blonde was looking at her. Those blue eyes of her's were. . .oh. . . but wait, nothing compared to her smile. . .   
  
Tara smiled hesitantly at Willow as she realised her compliment had been happily accepted. She was afraid she'd overstepped her bounds, but Willow's smile had instantly reassured her. Suddenly Tara's smile turned to a grin. This girl really was special. . .  
  
Willow suddenly went into babble-mode. Her heart was pounding, her palms were sweating, her thoughts were confusing her, and all she could do was babble. . .   
  
"Well, I thought we made a pretty good team. . . not getting killed at all. . . with some soda machine, boom! Pretty cool. " Willow couldn't believe these incoherent words were coming out of her mouth. But she couldn't seem to stop them.  
  
"Seems like you're kinda powerful." She quickly finished, wanting to return the compliment.  
  
"I. . . I'd like to be." Tara smiled, enjoying the cute way Willow talked. "I feel like I'm stuck. Like. . . I'm at the door and it w..won't open."  
  
"I know exactly what you mean!" Willow gasped out. That's just how she'd been feeling, in fact she'd even mentioned words to that effect to Buffy the other day. It was amazing how well she could relate to this girl, like they were constantly on the same wavelength or something. She was instantly at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say, all she could do was grin and stare into those gorgeous blue eyes, and try to breathe.  
  
Tara was enthralled by the way Willow was looking at her. They'd just shared another moment of understanding she realised. They were stuck behind a door, but maybe together they could. . ?  
  
"M..Maybe we c..could. . ." Tara nervously tried to get her thoughts across.  
  
"Break through together?" Willow interrupted, anticipating her words.  
  
Tara nodded enthusiastically, her heart skipping a beat at those words. Willow knew what she meant, she understood. The world suddenly seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them grinning at each other.   
  
The seconds ticked by, or was it minutes, or hours? Willow wasn't sure exactly how long she had spent staring into those sea-blue eyes. She just knew she didn't want to look away. She found it almost impossible to break her gaze, but she knew she had to. These weren't the actions of someone starting a new friendship. She'd never spent this long staring at Buffy, and Buffy was her best friend.  
  
It was Tara who finally broke the silence. Her heart was racing, her stomach had butterflies, and her knees felt like mush, but she didn't want to make her knew friend uncomfortable. Tara knew she was staring, and she knew that Willow was staring back, but could she be doing so out of politeness. . ? She could tell they were both speechless, and the electricity around them was incredible, but Tara was so afraid of mis-reading the situation and making Willow feel uncomfortable. She also knew that if she kept staring any longer she might do something stupid like lean over and hug the girl, or worse. . .  
  
"I should um. . . g..get to class." Tara stammered out breathlessly, still lost in the redhead's eyes.  
  
"Oh. . . right," Willow nodded in agreement, her eyes still glued to Tara's.  
  
"So. . . um. . ." Tara stammered as she slowly lifted herself off the chair.  
  
"No, wait!" Willow exclaimed, bringing herself back to earth. She still didn't know how to contact this girl. She didn't want her to leave. . . she had to see her again. . . and she didn't even know her last name.   
  
"Can I call you sometime?" Willow asked. "So we could um. . . you know, do some spells. . . or something?"  
  
"Oh yes!" Tara exclaimed, her heart racing. Willow wanted to see her again. She wanted to call her. Tara quickly sat down again and began rummaging through her bag for a pen and paper. She scribbled her name and contact details on a page in her notebook.  
  
"Here, " she said softly as she handed the page to Willow. "You can um. . . c..call me any time."  
  
"Great," replied Willow. "I'll call you soon."  
  
"Okay," Tara nodded as she got up again. "B..bye!" Tara waved as she headed off to class, a big goofy grin on her face.  
  
Willow watched Tara dreamily as she walked away. She couldn't believe how good it had felt to talk to her. She'd just made a new friend and she felt all giddy inside. Life was great, she thought. She hadn't felt this happy in a long time, not since . . . She stopped her thoughts abruptly. She didn't want to think about him right now. Things had been bad for so long, and now she was happy again. . . she'd met this powerful girl, and . . . well, she wasn't really in the mood for negativity right now. Willow looked at the page in her hand. Her last name was McLay. . .Tara Mclay, she liked how that sounded. She'd definitely give her a call soon.  
  
  
THE END 


End file.
